Fountain-pen.



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NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES G. SOUTHMAYD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FOUNTAIN-PEN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 710,724, dated October "i, 1902.

Application filed April 24, 1902. Serial No. 104,510. (No model.)

To all wiz/077?, it may concern.'

Be it known that LCHARLES G. SoUTHMArD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and usefullmprovement in Fountain-Pens, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in the class of fountain-pens in which the holder containing the reservoir is adapted to be supplied with ink by a syringe or vacuum-producing action.

The more important objects of my invention are to generally simplify and otherwise improve fountain-pens of the class referred to, toincrease the capacity of the reservoir without lengthening the holder in filling the reservoir beyond the length of the holder in its most compact condition, to render the holder proof against leaking, and to enable the reservoir-containing barrel and pen-stock to be formed in one continuous or jointless piece.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of a fountain-pen provided with myimprovements and shown in its condition ready for use. Fig. 2 is a similar View of the same without the pen-covering cap and with the parts in the relative positions to which they are brought in evacuating the reservoir of any remnant of ink preparatory to refilling it; and Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same with all the parts except the cap in the relative positions they occupy when the device is in condition for writing, with the reservoir supplied with its ink contents by bringing the parts into such relative positions.

As shown in the drawings, all the parts are greatly exaggerated, for the salreof clearness, as to their normal dimensions.

A is the tubular barrel, formed preferably, as usual, of hard rubber, though my invention is not limited in the matter of material employed for the parts, but is intended to include the employment of any suitable material. The barrel forms'the ink-reservoir B and has upon it, near its forward end, a circumferential enlargement A', affording the shoulders a and a at its opposite ends. Beyoud the shoulder a the tubular barrel is extended as the nozzle d2, shown as externally tapered toward its forward extremity and with an internal circumferentialy shoulder a3 near its inner end, beyond which the nozzle is provided with an internal circumferential shoulder a4. The part referred to as the nozzle corresponds with the pen-stock ot' other fountain-pens, which is formed in them separably from the barrel, but which my construction enables me to form in one piece with the barrel, including the enlargement AC C is the tubular quill fitting in the nozzle, wherein it abuts at its inner endagainst the shoulder ai and forms therein, with the inner wall su rface of the nozzle, a cylindrical space into which to insert a pen D, which abuts at its inner end against the shoulder cri. The quill projects, as usual, beyond the nozzle a2, and should register, as shown, at the mouth c in its forward extremity, with the opening d in the split pen near its point.

The barrel A carries at its rear end a valve E, shown in its preferred form of an inter* nally-threaded socket f, containing a ventopening f and formed in reduced external diameter on the end of a solid plug f2, which preferably terminates in a projection f3. The socket fscrews upon the threaded end e of the barrel A and presents thereon, at its forwardend,ashoulderf4. Byturningthesocket in the direction to withdraw it the vent-opening clears the end of the barrel A, while turning it in the opposite direction screws the socket upon the barrel, and thereby closes the Vent fl, which renders the socket a Valve for the purpose hereinafter described and also brings the end of the barrel against the base of the socket, thereby effectually sealing the reservoir at its rear end. Packing@ is shown on the base of the socket, though itis not an indispensably necessary adjunct.

F is a tubular sleeve, preferably formed of hard rubber, like the barrel which it incloses telescopically, forming therewith the internal ber) to t over the nozzle c2 and abut against the shoulder a', thereby shielding the pen D when out of use, the cap being vented, as shown att, to prevent in its removal any suction action by it that would tend to pull ink out of the reservoir through the quill and pen. When the fountain-pen is being used, the cap G may be applied to the projection f3, on which it fits and abuts against the rear end of the sleeve, as shown in Fig. l.

To ill the reservoir B, the valve Eis turned to withdraw the socket far enough to cause the vent-opening j" to clear the end of the barrel, whereby communication is aiorded through the vent of the interior of the barrel or reservoir with the air-space. Thereupon (the cap G being off) the sleeve F is drawn backward till its internal shoulder h abuts against the shoulderf4,with the result of forcing the air contained in the space g through the ventf into the reservoir and driving out through the quill any remnant of ink that may be in the reservoir. Thus, as will be seen, the fountain-pen is rendered in a sense self-cleaning. Vith the parts in the relative positions shown in Fig. 2, to which they are brought by the described operation, the reservoir is ready7 to be filled by restoring the barrel and the, sleeve to their telescopically folded or contracted positions. To accomplish the filling the device is immersed at the pen, or at the quill end if the pen is not in place, into the supply of ink, when the sleeve F is pushed forward upon the barf rel until it meets the shoulder a, thereby sucking the air into the space g through the vent f out of the reservoir and creating a sufficient vacuum in the latter to draw into it and lill it with ink from the supply. Thereupon the valve E is closed by screwing the plug in to cover the ventf' and abut it against the rear end of the reservoir. As will thus be seen, the reservoir is equipped with a suction-filling attachment comprising in its broadest sense a contractible and expansible chamber surrounding and controllably communicating through a valve with the reservoir and operating by contracting it to evacuate the reservoir of itscontents and by expanding it to suck ink into the reservoir. With the reservoir thus filled the parts of the device are, as will be seen, in their most compactrelative positions for use, from which it is only required to extend them preparatory to illing the reservoir. It will also be seen from the foregoing description that. my improved construction reduces a :fountain-pen equipped with a suction-filling attachment to a peculiarly few number of parts-namely, the five parts comprising the barrel and penstock, the valve, the quill, the sleeve, and the cap-the construction enabling the barrel and pen-stock to be formed in one jointless piece. It will further be seen that the construction is comparatively simple, that the capacity of the reservoir is comparatively great, since no portion of its capacity when filled is taken up by anything besides ink, and that the reservoir is proof against leaking, since it is adapted to be efiiciently sealed at its outer end by the valve and is also effectively sealed at the forward end in the common manner, so that no bearings are accessible to the ink in the reservoir..

To enable my invention to be readily un-` derstood, I have confined the description of the construction precisely to the details thereof illustrated in the drawings. However, I do not limit myinvention to such details nor to the particular combinations shown and described, as they may be variously modied Without departure from the spirit of my invention.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a fountain-pen, the combination with a barrel forming the ink-reservoir, of a reservoir-sealing valve comprising a plug having a vented socket screwing upon the rear end of said barrel to close said end by abutting it against the base of said socket, whereby the vent is covered and closed by the circumferential barrel-surface, said socket unscrewing on said rear end to withdraw said socket-base from contact with the barrel end and retract the vent beyond said end, substantially as described.

2. In afountain-pen, the combination'with the ink-reservoir of a suction iilling attachment thereon comprising a contractible and expansible chamber surrounding and having valve-controlled communication with said reservoir, whereby contractionof said chamber evacuates the reservoir of its contents and expansion of the chamber sucks into the reservoir ink from a supply thereof, substantially as described.

3. In a fountain-pen, the combination with the inkreservoir, of a suction lling attachment thereon comprising a telescopic chamber surrounding and having valve -controlled communication with said reservoir, said chamber being contractible by retraction to evacuate the reservoir of its contents, and eXpansible by advancing it to suck into the reservoir ink from a supply thereof, substantially as described.

4. In a fountain-pen, the combination with a barrel forming the ink-reservoir, of a sealing and filling valve on the rear end of the reservoir, and a .sleeve telescopically surrounding said barrel and forming about it a closed air-space controllably communicating with the reservoir through said valve.

5. In a fountain-pen, the combination with a barrel forming the ink-reservoir, of alreservoir sealing and lling valve comprising a plug having a vented f socket screwed upon the rear end of the barrel, anda sleeve telescopically surrounding said barrel and forming about it a closed air-space controllably communicating with the reservoir through the vent in said socket.

6. A fountain-pen, comprising, in combi- IOO IIO

nation, a one-pieoe Combined pen-stock and barrel forming the ink-reservoir, a quill in said stool; for confining :L pen and feeding thereto ink from the reservoir, a reservoir sealing and lling valve on the rear end of The barrel, and a sleeve telescopio-ally surrounding said barrel and forming,r about it a closed air-space oontrolltbly communicating with the reservoir through said Valve, to operate substantially as described,

7. A fountain-pen, Comprising7 in combination, a one-piece combined pen-stock and barrel forming the ink-reservoir, a quill in said stooli for confining a pen and feeding thereto ink from the reservoir, an enlargement on the barrel presenting shoulders at its opposite ends, a. Valve composed of a plug` CHARLES G. SOUTHMAYD.

In presence of- ALBERT D. BACCI, W. B. DAVIEs. 

